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Biography of scientist Alfred Nobel to inspire the reader. Also refer to physics, chemistry, physical science, Nobel Prize, nitroglycerin, dynamite, explosives, Stockholm, Sweden, St. Petersburg, Russia, Paris, France, education, Ron Kurtus, School for Champions. Copyright © Restrictions
Alfred Nobel
by Ron Kurtus (revised 8 December 2001)
Alfred Nobel was an inventor/engineer, whose most famous discover was that of dynamite. He was from a family of Swedish engineers that gained their wealth producing weapons and oil for the Russians. Nobel became one of the world's richest men, due to his businesses and inventions. Upon his death, he willed much of his fortune to create the Nobel Prize.
Questions you may have include:
- What did Nobel do?
- How did the Nobel Prize come about?
- What lessons can be learned from his life?
This lesson will answer those questions. There is a mini-quiz near the end of the lesson.
Childhood
Alfred Nobel was born in Stockholm, Sweden on October 21, 1833.
Ages 1 to 10 years
Alfred's father, Immanuel, was an engineer and inventor who built bridges and buildings in Stockholm. Bankruptcy forced Immanuel to seek other income, so when Alfred was 4, his father left the family and moved to Finland and then Russia, seeking work.
He started a mechanical workshop in St. Petersburg, Russia that provided equipment for the Russian army. Immanuel was able to get a contract to build naval mines that the Russians used to block enemy naval ships from threatening St. Petersburg. They were simple devices consisting of submerged wooden casks filled with gun powder, but they prove invaluable to the Russians.
Success in his business ventures allowed Immanuel to send for his family. When Alfred was 9 years old, the family moved to Russia. There, Alfred and his brothers were educated by private instructors in the humanities and natural sciences.
Ages 11 to 19
As he grew up, Alfred's primary interests were in English literature and poetry, although he was skilled in chemistry and physics. By the time he was 17, Alfred was also fluent in Swedish, Russian, French, English and German.
Alfred's father wanted his sons to be engineers, and he disliked Alfred's interest in poetry. So he sent Alfred abroad to study chemical engineering. He received much of his chemical training in Paris, France.
Adult years
Nobel worked in chemisty in Paris, but then moved back with his family in St. Petersburg and later in Stockholm, where he helped in his father's business. He experimented with nitroglycerine for years until he finally invented dynamite.
Ages 20 to 29 years
Nobel continued to work in chemistry in Paris. There he met Ascanio Sobrero, an Italian chemist who discovered nitroglycerine. This substance was so dangerous and powerful that if you put a single drop of nitroglycerin on the table and hit it with a hammer, it would explode and blow the head of the hammer off its handle. A few years later, after he had returned to Italy, Sobrero was seriously injured from an explosion of nitroglycerin.
In 1852, at the age of 29, Nobel returned to St. Petersburg to his in the family business, which was booming because of its deliveries to the Russian army during the Crimean War. Alfred told his father about nitroglycerine, and they worked together to try to develop it as a commercially useful explosive.
Ages 30 to 39
A few years after the Crimean War ended in 1856, Immanuel Nobel was again forced into bankruptcy. In 1863, part of the family--including Alfred--left St. Petersburg and returned to Stockholm. Immanuel and his sons rebuilt their business--this time concentrating on the oil industry--and soon became wealthy again.
Developing nitroglycerine
Alfred was still interested in developing nitroglycerine as an explosive. Unfortunately, in 1864, one experiment resulted in an explosion that killed Alfred's brother Emil and several other people.
This accident did not deter Alfred, as he continued to produce and experiment with nitroglycerin. Nobel was carefully trying different ways to make Nitroglycerin more stable, so it could be used in some useful manner.
Invented dynamite
In 1866, at age 33, Nobel had a full test tube of the substance--enough to easily blow up his laboratory. He was just ready to pour a drop into another test tube. He was very nervous, when suddenly the test tube full of nitroglycerin slipped out of his hands and fell to the floor!
Luckily, the tube fell into a packing box filled with sawdust. If it would have hit the floor, there probably would have been a great explosion, killing Nobel and others around him. The nitroglycerin ran out of the test tube and was absorbed in the sawdust. Not letting the material go to waste, Nobel started to test the mixture and found that it could be handled easier and was not as explosive as in the liquid form.
He found that mixing nitroglycerine with silica would turn the liquid into a paste which could be shaped into rods that would be relatively safe, could be shaped into rods to use in blasting, and could be easily detonated. In 1867 he patented this material under the name of dynamite. His invention came at a time when the diamond drilling crown and pneumatic drill were also being used in blasting rock, drilling tunnels, building canals and many other forms of construction work.
Became richer
As a result of the invention of dynamite, as well as his other inventions, Nobel built up a number of companies and laboratories in different countries around the world. He held patents on 355 inventions and became one of the world's richest men.
Ages 40 to 59
But his intensive work and traveling took its toll. In 1876, at age 43, he realized that he was an old bachelor. He even put an advertisement in the Paris newspaper for a companion. One reply was an Austrian woman, Countess Bertha Kinsky. Although their romance ended, and she married someone else, they still remained friends. Her anti-war views were said to have influenced Alfred's views.
Painting of Nobel, working in his laboratory
Nobel was a man of multiple and varied passions. He read in six languages and traveled extensively. He also wrote poetry and drama--fulfilling his youthful dreams and desires.
Final years
Nobel had became a rich man because of his discovery. But he felt guilty, because dynamite was later used in warfare, resulting in many people being killed. He was very interested in social and peace-related issues and held what were considered radical views in his era.
So, he put much of his money into a trust fund to promote the peaceful use of science. The Nobel Prizes became an extension and a fulfillment of his lifetime interest. That is called the Nobel Prize, which is given every year. Because of his interest in literature and poetry, there is also the prize for literature.
On November 29, 1896, Nobel made out his last will and testament that donated much of his fortune to the creation of the Nobel Prize.
Alfred Nobel died of a cerebral hemorrhage on December 10, 1896 at the age of 63.
Summary
Nobel was from a scientific family that became very wealthy. For years he worked on being able to manage the volatile liquid nitroglycerine, until he was final able to invent dynamite. He formed many companies and became one of the world's richest men. Due to his interest in peace, science and literature, he established the Nobel Prize and donated his wealth to the prize in his final will.
Lessons learned from Nobel's life include:
- Having rich, intelligent parents can give a person a great head-start
- A good education is important
- Persistence can pay off
- A workaholic may end up lonely
- It is enjoyable to have varied interests
- Try to give back to society (before you die)
Taste is often determined by character
Resources
The following are resources on this subject.
Websites
Nobel eMuseum - Swedish museum dedicated to the Nobel Prize
Alfred Nobel - His Life and Work - School site essay
Alfred Nobel Invents Dynamite - School site essay
Books
Top-rated books on Alfred Noblel
Mini-quiz to check your understanding
1. Why did Alfred Nobel become a chemist?
2. How is dynamite made?
3. Why did Nobel give a prize for literature, when he was a chemist?
If you got all three correct, you are on your way to becoming a Champion in understanding the Biographies of famous people. If you had problems, you had better look over the material again.
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Alfred Nobel